Massachusetts has a long and dark past that goes back to the colonial age and the Salem witch trials. Some of that past is still visible in the land and buildings, making them some of the scariest places in the United States.
The Hawthorne Hotel in Salem is one of these places. It is a fancy and old hotel that is also home to several restless spirits. This is the story of this Massachusetts hotel that is said to be haunted and why it is so scary.
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The Hawthorne Hotel’s History
The Salem Marine Society was a club for sea leaders and traders. The Hawthorne Hotel was built on the site of that club in 1925. The famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem and got ideas for many of his stories from the town’s past and tales. The hotel is named after him.
The hotel has 93 rooms, a big ballroom, a rooftop garden, and a restaurant. It was built to be a modern and elegant place for tourists and locals to stay. A lot of famous people, leaders, and officials, like Eleanor Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and George Bush, quickly made the hotel their home.
The hotel did have a dark side, though, because it was built on land that was full of blood and disaster. On the other side of the hotel from the Salem Common was where many of the supposed witches were killed in 1692. The hotel was also close to the house where Bridget Bishop lived before she was put to death for witchcraft in Salem.
During the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, many people died, and some of the hotel rooms were also used as hospital beds. Some of the victims’ souls may still be in the building after these events, which may have made the hotel more haunted.
Paranormal Activities at the Hawthorne Hotel
Many ghost hunts and stories have been made about the Hawthorne Hotel, and it has also been on several TV shows, including Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. People say that the hotel is visited by several ghosts, some of whom are nice and some of whom are evil. Some of the most common ghostly things that guests and workers have seen or heard are:
- The sound of a kid weeping or laughing on the third floor, particularly in room 325, where a baby allegedly died of mysterious circumstances.
- The ghost of a woman in a long white dress roams the sixth floor, particularly in room 612, where she is supposed to be a former visitor who committed herself by jumping out the window.
- The fragrance of apples in room 325 is said to indicate Bridget Bishop’s presence, as she had an apple orchard near the hotel.
- The sensation of being handled, pushed, or scraped by invisible hands, particularly in the elevator and basement, where some hotel employees have claimed being assaulted by an angry spirit.
- The movement of items, such as furniture, doors, windows, and lights, without explanation or reason.
- The appearance of orbs, mists, shadows, and voices is seen through cameras, recorders, and other equipment, as well as the naked sight and ear.
Reasons Why the Hawthorne Hotel is Terrifying
The Hawthorne Hotel is terrifying not just because of the paranormal activity that takes place there, but also because of the history and aura surrounding it. The hotel serves as a reminder of the tragedies and injustices that occurred in Salem, where innocent individuals were falsely convicted, tortured, and slaughtered just for being different or having enemies.
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The hotel has also seen death and suffering, both natural and manmade, leaving a path of sadness and agony. The hotel is also a location where the living and the dead may interact, both quietly and brutally, instilling dread and anxiety. The hotel is a location where the past and the present meet, reality, and fiction merge, and the normal and the extraordinary cohabit.
Conclusion
The Hawthorne Hotel in Salem is a frightening reminder of Massachusetts’ dark heritage. Built in 1925 on a site steeped in Salem’s dark past, the hotel oozes elegance while concealing a tragic background. With its closeness to witch trial sites and the horrific consequences of the Spanish flu, the Hawthorne Hotel is said to be haunted by spirits.
Tales of ghostly experiences, as shown on television series like as Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, add an ominous dimension to the hotel’s charm, offering an unearthly experience in the heart of Massachusetts.